Karen Leydon

Karen Leydon is the Chief Human Capital Officer for the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) responsible for providing advice and support to the CFTC Chairman and Executive Director on human capital management initiatives to support the agency’s mission and strategic plan. In this capacity, Karen strives to provide effective human resource management services to the CFTC and to facilitate the attainment of the CFTC's strategic goals and program objectives.

Before joining the CFTC in 2015, Ms. Leydon served nine years at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). She was appointed to the Senior Executive in 2010 as the FTC’s CHCO. During her tenure as CHCO, the Partnership for Public Service ranked the FTC each year among the top five Best Places to Work in the Federal Government in the mid-size agency category. Prior to her CHCO service, Ms. Leydon served as the FTC’s Director of Human Resources and Deputy Director.

Karen has over twenty years of leadership experience in several federal agencies guiding organizations, projects, and people in large, mid-size, and small agencies, with proven success in human capital strategy and operations.

Ms. Leydon holds a Masters in Public Administration from George Mason University and is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s “Leadership for a Democratic Society.”